Reports of shots fired at NY mall

Reports of shots fired at NY mall

GUILDERLAND, N.Y.

Hundreds of shoppers were rushed out of an upstate New York mall Saturday when reports spread about possible gunshots being fired near retail stores.

Law-enforcement officials ordered an evacuation of the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, about a dozen miles northeast of Albany, after police were alerted to one, or possibly two, shots being fired.

The police chief in Guilderland confirmed late Saturday that shots were fired but said no one was injured.

US to resettle Australia’s refugees

CANBERRA, Australia

The United States has agreed to resettle an unspecified number of refugees languishing in Pacific island camps in a deal that is expected to inspire more asylum seekers to attempt to reach Australia by boat, officials said today.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would not say whether he had discussed the deal with President-elect Donald Trump during their telephone conversation Thursday. The Obama administration had agreed to resettle refugees among almost 1,300 asylum seekers held at Australia’s expense on the island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea. Another 370 who came to Australia for medical treatment then refused to return to the islands also would be eligible.

Kerry says he’ll continue with climate efforts

WELLINGTON, New Zealand

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said today he will continue his efforts to implement the Paris Agreement on global warming until the day President Barack Obama leaves office Jan. 20.

Speaking in New Zealand after a trip to Antarctica, Kerry said his administration would continue to do everything possible to meet its responsibility to future generations.

Kerry has long championed climate action, but now his legacy is under threat. President-elect Donald Trump has called climate change a hoax and said he would “cancel” U.S. involvement in the landmark Paris deal.

Residents urged to wear masks due to wildfire smoke

ATLANTA

Wildfires near the Georgia-North Carolina line are spewing smoke so thick that residents are being urged to wear special masks if they must do outdoor activities.

The fires – many of them suspected arsons – have prompted evacuations in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee in recent days.

The largest of dozens of ongoing wildfires in the South has now burned 13,300 acres, more than a third of the vast Cohutta Wilderness area, in the north Georgia mountains just south of the Tennessee line.

Moderate quake felt in southwest Alaska

ANCHORAGE, Alaska

A moderate earthquake was felt by residents in southwest Alaska on Saturday afternoon, but there were no immediate reports of damage.

The Alaska Earthquake Center said the temblor had a preliminary magnitude of 5.2 and was located at a depth of about 7 miles. However, the U.S. Geological Survey put the preliminary magnitude at 5.5. It was recorded just before 1 p.m. AKST.

The quake on the Alaska Peninsula was felt in Dillingham and was centered about 35 miles south of the community of Pilot Point, or 400 miles southwest of Anchorage.

Associated Press